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  3. Like all quintessentially British things, gardening is a pastime that has long been in decline. From a high point of ￡5 billion

Like all quintessentially British things, gardening is a pastime that has long been in decline. From a high point of ￡5 billion

admin2011-03-11  76
问题     Like all quintessentially British things, gardening is a pastime that has long been in decline. From a high point of ￡5 billion in 2001, spending on plants, tools and garden furniture has fallen every year since then, to around ~3 billion in 2008．The arrival of economic recession only deepened the gloom: to credit-crunched consumers, shrubs and hanging baskets seemed obvious candidates for cuts.  
    Yet the latest figures from the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) suggest a bumper year for garden-related expenditure is in the making. Sales volumes were up by 21% in March and 28% in April compared with the same months a year earlier. This was not the result of deep discounting, a strategy that many other retailers have been adopting. The value of garden goods sold was 37% higher in March and 42% higher in April than a year earlier, whereas the value of all sales had increased by just 3% in April. Datamonitor, a market-research firm, reckons that gardening will continue to outperform the rest of retailing for at least the next two years.  
    Much of the good news is due to the weather, admits Tim Briercliffe, the HTA’s director of business development. Last year the vital spring months were damp and miserable; this year sunshine (and weathermen’s prediction of a hot summer) has boosted custom.  But the economic downturn itself has turned out to be as much a blessing as a curse. Gardening may be a luxury, argues Mr. Briercliffe, but it competes with other, more expensive luxuries. "People who might have otherwise booked a city break to Prague are staying at home and making the best of what they have," he maintains. According to Ipsos MORI, a pollster, three-quarters of people plan to spend at least as much on their garden this year as last.  
    Economic hardship has created a new breed of gardener too. Partly, that reflects people making the most of their enforced leisure: "We get some unemployed city types who are just filling time while looking for another job," admits a garden-centre worker near the London commuter town of Guilford. But there are more positive developments. Much of the growth in garden spending has come from the under-35s, not traditionally a green-fingered demographic. One explanation is that environmentalism and thriftiness have made growing vegetables trendy, an idea that is supported by growing shortage of allotments.  
    But there is more to it than pleasant weather and belt-tightening.  The HTA detects deeper, and darker, changes in the national psyche.  Citing research from the Future Foundation, a prognosticatory consultancy, it reckons that people are spending more time in their homes, fortifying them into havens from an unwelcoming world haunted by crime, bureaucracy and rising unemployment. The longer the downturn persists, the greener the grass may grow.
What can you infer from the 3rd paragraph?
选项 A、England enjoys good weather for several springs.
B、Gardening is classified as a luxury.
C、Many English people take vacations abroad.
D、Good weather is the sole reason for the increase in gardening.
答案B
解析 选项A说英格兰天气一直很好，但是文中说“去年关键的春季月份潮湿阴冷”(Last year the vital spring months were damp and miserable)，可判断其错误；选项B说园艺是奢侈的娱乐活动，文中说“园艺也许可看作奢侈的娱乐活动，但跟其它更昂贵的奢侈娱乐相比，它就逊色多了”，(Gardening may be a luxury but it competes with other，more expensive luxuries)可见，B项符合文意；选项C说很多英国人外出度假，这在本段中并未说明；选项D可根据后半段进行判断，经济危机使人们减少了出游而选择留在家中做园艺。故D错误。   
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